Motion for warp knitting machines



Sept. 27, 1949. w. o. TRAUMULLER MOTION FOR WARP KNITTING M.I\.CI'IIIES` 3 SheeS-Shee t 1 Filed sept. 50, 1947 Q www ||Jr1l||||||| wmk mm @QM nu n, ww i Hlliil ll Sept. 27, 1949. W Q TRAUMULLER 2,482,811`

I MOTIONFOR wARP KNITTING MACHINES y Filed sept. so, 1947 3 sheets-sheet 2 1N V EN TOR.

A TTORNEY Sept. 27, 1949. W, Q TRAUMULLER 2,482,811

MOTION FOR WARP KNITTING MACHINES Filed Sept. 30, 1947 5 Sheets-'Sheet 5 MW fgw ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 27, 1949 MOTION FOR WARP KNITTIN G MACHINES William O. Traumuller, Teaneck Township, Bergen County, N. J., assignor to Kidde Manufac-v turing Co., Inc., Bloomfield, N. J., a corporation of Delaware Application September 30, 1947, Serial No. 777,065

. 7 Claims.

The present invention relates to warp knitting machines, and more particularly tov improvements for imparting a desired motion to the Warp guide bars of such machines.

The present invention is concerned primarily with warp knitting ma-chines having one or more needle bars on which latch type needles are mounted and having one or more warp guide bars above the needle bars Von which the thread guides are mounted. TheV needle bars are arranged for upward and downward movement which is effected by suitable cams and linkage. The guide bars are arranged for forward and backward rocking motion whereby the guides are moved to and fro between the needles, this motion being effected by a cam and linkage. The guide bars also are arranged for endwise patterning motion whereby the guides move longitudinally with respect to the needles, the latter motion being effected by a pattern cam wheel or cam chain, hereinafter referred to as the pattern cam. The effect of these two guide bar motions is to lap the warps or selected warps on the needles.

The motion of the needle bar and the motions of the guide bar are timed so that when the needles move upwardly towards the guides, the guides swing rearwardly through the needles. By reason of the shape of the cam required for effecting rocking movement of the guides, the guides move most rapidly just before and after theyhave reached their rearmostposition and remain at their rearmost position only momentarily- While in this position the guides are moved transversely with respect to the needles, either towards the left or the right. In order to eect such longitudinal movement while the rocking motion of the Yguides momentarily has ceased, the guide bar must be moved very rapidly. In View of the fact that a cam contour of thevpattern cam is utilized to eiect such longitudinal movement, the rapidity of the movement is limited by the permissible change of such cam contour, which, due tothe weight of the parts to be moved and other factors, cannot be sufficiently great to provide the desired speedy longitudinal movement.

Heretofore it has been customary to drive the pattern cam intermittently, but such an intermittent drive, due to recurring starts andV stops, introduces high inertia forces which prohibit operation of the machine at high speeds.

It has also been proposed to operatively associate a second cam with the pattern cam which approximately doublesthedistance of the longitudinal movement vof the guide bars in a given time when the guides and ,needles are in the 2 aforementioned respectiveback and up positions. Since Veach guidel bar is Ymoved longitudinally individually by itsr own pattern cam, the use of secondary cams 'doubles the number of cams required for this movement,y'thereby greatly increasing the size, weight and complexity of the machine. l

The -present invention aims to overcome the foregoing objections and disadvantages by pro- :viding an improved guide bar motion arrange- Vment for warp knitting machines.

f An object of the present invention is to provide an improved warp knitting machine wherein the guide bars are moved rapidly in an endwise or longitudinal direction While the needles are up and the guides are back.

Another object is to provide means for effecting such movement which are light in weight,

small in size, simple in design, economical to manufacture and reliable in operation.

Y Another object is to provide such means which do not subjectparts .of the machine to high inertia.

Another object is to provide such means which adapt the machine for high speed operation to increase its production.

Another object is to provide such means which are readily interchangeable to determine the ra- V pidity with which the longitudinal movement of `of the invention in practice.

In accordance with the invention, the foregoing objects and advantages areaccomplished by providing a continuous pattern cam drive, a rotatable pattern cam, and means associated with Athe drive for alternately increasing and decreasing the speed of rotation of the pattern cam, these means being arranged for causing the patternvcam to rotate at its greatest speed when the needles are Aup and the guides are'back. This fast vand slow movement doesnot alter the overall time requiredfor. the ypattern cam to go through a complete cycle of movement, but merely varies the speed of rotation ofthe pattern cam at various phases in the cycle. The means for effecting the fast and slow movement are interchangeable to provide for complementary fast and slow rotating speeds of the pattern cam of desired values.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been chosen for purposes .of illustration and description, and is shown in, the accompanying drawings, forming ai part of the specication, wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of a warp,

knitting machine illustrating the adaptation of the present invention, the machinebeing viewed: from the front thereof.

Figure 2 is an elevational view of' thefast and. slow motion means as taken', Substantially along the line 2 2 on Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic View illustrating the relative positions of the guide bar rocking-cam and the fast and slow pattern cam motion meansl while the needles are down and the guides are in their. forward position.

Figure 4 is-a diagrammatic View, illustrating the relative positions of the guide bar rocking cam andthe fastandslowfpattern cam motion means while the needles are up and the guides are in their rearward position.

For purposes of simplicity and in order toillustrate the inventionin aclear and precise manner, the machine hasbeen shown by way .of example and will be described, as having a single needle bar and a single guide bar. It will be understood that the invention may, be advantageously adaptedin connectionwithmachines which have morethan one-needle or. on more than one guide bar.

Referring to the drawings in detail and more particularly to-Figure-l thereof, there is shown a warp-knitting machine comprising a pair of spaced apart upright end frames IIland I I, aIcam shaft I2 rotatably supported by the frames,V a.

guide barrockv shaft I4, a guide bar I5 suspended from'therock shaft I4, for longitudinal or. endwise movement with respect thereto by a bracket meansv IE5q (onlyoneof such=means being shown), andpattern cammeans II, herein shown as-of the chain link type for effecting. the longitudinal movement ofthe guide bar.

The camshaft I-2 is continuously1 rotated during thevoperation of the machine by a drive (not shown) operatively connected-to a` gear I9.on the cam shaft. Afrocl; shaft operating cam 2D is mountedon the camshaft adjacent the-gsear- I9 andhas.agenerally-elliptical groove 2| (Figures 3 and 4) for operating the.- rock shaft through two knitting cycles orcourses, upon onerevolution of the .cam as -is customary in high speed -warp knitting machines.- A- follower- 22v rides in`v the groove and is, mounted on one end of'a link 24 having its other end7 pivotally connectedtoV a crank 'secured-:to the rockV shaft at one end thereof. In ,order to render the linkk 24 effective to impart up and down movement to the crank responsive tothe cam and cause rocking off the shaft I4, a fulcrum link 26 has one end pivotally oonnectedtothe end of the link 24 carrying the cam follower and has its .other end fulcrumedon the frame I0 at 2'I` (Figure l).

While not shown herein, warp knitting machines of the present type are also provided with a needle` bar of which upward and downward movement with respect to the guide bar is eected by means of cams mounted on the cam shaft I2 to thereby correlate themovements ofthe needle and guide bars. However, a., needle barV 28; is shown schematically vin Figures 3 and 4 to illustrate its positions with respect to the guide bar during knitting operation of the machine.

Endwise shifting of the guide bar I5 is effected by a pusher bar 30 slidably mounted in a stationary guide or bearing block 3I supported on a bracket or platform 29 on the end frame I I. The Pusher bar basa plate 32.v at one end engaged by the end 33v of the guide bar during rocking movement thereof and has a roller 34 at its other end engaging the chain links of the pattern cam means I 'I-. The` end of the guide bar is urged against the plate 32 and the roller of the pusher barinturn-is urgedagainst the chain links by a coil spring 35' having one end attached to the guide bar end 33j and having its other end attached to the bearing block 3I.

Thepatterncammeans II are driven by a shaft Mlwhich is rotated by the cam shaft I2, through sprockets 4I and 42 connected by a chain 44, a fast and slow movement 45 about to be described indetail, al reductiongear-box 46, and-a coupling 41. The sprocketshave a ratio of two to one, whereby, for each revolution` of the cam shaft, the shaft 48 on which thesprocket 42 is mounted is rotated twice.

As illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the fast and slow movement comprises an elliptical driving gear 49-mounted for rotation with the sprocket i2 on the shaft 4S; and an elliptical driven gear 5I) meshing with thegear- 43 andvmounted-on a shaft 5I for driving thegearbox 46.

The gears 49 and 5I!` are constructed and arranged so that when the teeth ofv the driving gear 49 located'between. the major axis thereof mesh with the teeth of the driven gear 5I] located between the-minor axis thereof, the shaft 5I is rotatedfslower than theshaft E48; and when the teeth of'v the driving gear 49located. between the minor axis thereof mesh with the teeth of Vthe driven gear 5D' located between the major axis thereof, the shaft 5|- is-rotated faster than the shaft 48. Inthis manner fast and slow rotating movement is imparted to the gear box which drives the pattern cam means and hence effects fast and slow movement thereof.

In Figures 3 and 4v the relative positions of the rock shaft cam, the elements of the fast and slow movement 45, the guide bar I5 and the needle-bar 28y are illustrated more or less schematically.

In Figure 3 the-foregoing machine elements are shown in their positions when the needle bar is in its lowermost position and the guide barv is in its forwardposition. The cam follower 22 is about toride overthe'dwell portion of the cam 2li-which at this point does not change contour. Thusly, there is ample time for the guide bar to-be-shiftedf endwise, whereby the slow rotative transmittingmovement of the elliptical gears 49 and 5I) maybe utilized.

In Figure 4, the machine elements are shown with the-gears 49 and'rotatedf about 180 with respect to the position shown in Figure 3, the needle bar is shown at itsuppermost position and the guide bar is shown at its rearward position. Thecam follower is-at the major axis of the cam 2B whic-h at this point changes contour rapidly. whereby subsequent rearward and forward movement of the-guide bar will take place rapidly. Consequently, there is little time for the guide barto be'shifted'endwise when in its rearmostposition before moving forward again and traversing the needles, whereby it is desirable to utilizethevrapid'rotative transmitting movement'oflthe gears 49 and 50'.

Due to the two to one ratio of the sprockets 4I and 42, the gears 49 and 50 are rotated twice for each rotation of the guide bar rock shaft cam 20 and the needle bar cam (not shown) to thereby eect fast and slow movement during each knitting cycle or course.

While a specic fast and slow movement has been illustrated and described by way example, it will be apparent that other types of drives may be utilized for electing alternate fast and slow motion of the pattern cam.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the present invention provides an improved Warp type knitting machine wherein the pattern cam is controlled by fast and slow motion means which eiect most rapid rotation of the pattern cam when rapid longitudinal movement of the guide bar is required and effect complementary slow rotation of the pattern cam when there is suicient time to move the guide bar longitudinally, while maintaining the overall time of the cam pattern cycle constant. By utilizing the fast and slow motion in connection with chain link pattern cam means, the amount of links required to eiTect a desired pattern can be materially decreased.

As various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts herein, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in any limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the followingr claims are intended to cover all the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention, which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

I claim:

l. Mechanism for imparting endwise movement to a longitudinally movable guide bar in a Warp knitting machine, said mechanism comprising a pattern cam for imparting longitudinal movement to the guide bar, and a drive for continuously rotating said cam including means having cooperating surfaces of varying contour for continuously and alternately effecting fast and slow rotative movement of said cam while said cam is rotating.

2. Mechanism for imparting endwise movement to a longitudinally movable guide bar of a knitting machine, said mechanism comprising a pattern cam for imparting longitudinal movement to the guide bar, drive means for effecting rotation of said cam operated continuously at a constant speed, and means operatively connecting said cam to said drive means including members having cooperating surfaces of varying contour for imparting continuous alternate fast and slow rotative movement to said cam while said cam is rotating, whereby said cam is adapted to impart fast and slow longitudinal movement to the guide bar at desired intervals.

3. Mechanism for imparting endwise movement to a longitudinally movable guide bar in a warp knitting machine, said mechanism comprising a pattern cam for imparting longitudinal movement to the guide bar, a driving member rotated continuously at a constant speed, a driven member associated with said driving member and arranged for effecting rotation of said cam, and mechanism operatively connecting said driving and driven members including cooperating eccentric means for alternately effecting fast and slow rotation of said driven member and said cam.

4. Mechanism for imparting endwise movement to a longitudinally movable guide bar in a warp knitting machine, said mechanism comprising a pattern cam for imparting longitudinal movement to the guide lpar, a driving member rotated continuously at a constant speed, a driven mem-- .ber associated with said driving member and arranged for effecting rotation of said cam, and mechanism operatively connecting said driving and driven members including cooperating meshing means for alternately effecting fast and slow rotation of said driven member and said cam.

5. Mechanism for Vimparting endwise movement to a longitudinally movable guide bar in a warp knitting machine, said mechanism comprising a pattern cam for imparting longitudinal movement to the guide bar, a driving member rotated continuously at a constant speed, a driven member associated with said driving member and arranged for effecting rotation of said cam, and mechanism operatively connecting said driving and driven members including meshing elliptical gears for alternately effecting fast and. slow rotation of said driven member and said cam.

6. Mechanism for imparting endwise movement to a longitudinally movable guide bar in a warp knitting machine, said mechanism comprising a pattern cam for imparting longitudinal movement to the guide bar, a drive shaft rotated continuously at a constant speed during normal operation of the machine, a driven shaft adjacent said drive shaft and arranged for effecting rotation of said cam, an elliptical gear on said drive shaft, an elliptical gear on said driven shaft in meshing relation with said first gear, said gears being constructed and arranged for alternately eiecting fast and slow rotation of said driven shaft and said cam. Y

7. Mechanism for imparting endwise movement to a longitudinally movable guide bar in a warp knitting machine, said mechanism comprising a pattern cam for imparting longitudinal movement to the guide bar, a driving member rotated continuously at a constant speed, a driven member associated with said driving member and arranged for effecting rotation of said cam, and mechanism interconnecting said driving and driven members including members having cooperating surfaces constructed and arranged to rotate said driven member the same number of revolutions as said driving member while alternately effecting fast and slow rotation of said driven member and said cam.

WILLIAM O. TRAUMULLER.

REFERENCES CITED' UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Lambach Sept. 9, 1947 Number 

